At this point, most prognosticators believe Wolf & Co. will sit tight and take a quarterback at No. 3 to usher in a new era. The de facto GM noted that it’s a unique year with multiple quarterbacks who could be selected in the top 5. Wolf added Thursday that he’d be “comfortable” taking one of the top three or four QBs at No. 3. He also noted that the Pats don’t have to select a quarterback with their first selection.
Wolf rejected the notion that the Patriots roster, which is in flux after 24 years under Bill Belichick’s guidance, isn’t ready to support a rookie quarterback.
“I read a lot of that storyline,” he said. “I’m not really sure what that means. We have a solid offensive line; we re-signed Mike Onwenu, we have David Andrews coming back, we have three rookies that we drafted last year that are developing, we signed (right tackle Chukwuma) Okorafor from the Steelers, (re-signed tight end) Hunter Henry, a good running game, a solid foundation and a solid system in place with coach (Andy) Van Pelt on the offense. So, I definitely feel like we can support.”
Questions about the Patriots’ roster are warranted, particularly given that the wide receiver group is a glaring weakness without an alpha. However, that shouldn’t be a reason to draft or not draft a quarterback. If said pick is what the team believes, he’d buoy the entire operation. If he’s not, the surroundings likely wouldn’t matter in the long run. Clubs can’t wait until the situation is ideal to make a move on the most critical position in sports. Football teams aren’t formed in a petri dish.
If Wolf sticks at No. 3 and picks a quarterback, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him try to move back on Day 2 (currently holding picks No. 34 and 68) to add more selections to his catalog.